Former interim WBC lightweight champion Ryan Garcia is set to square off against 29-year-old kickboxing phenom Rukiya Anpo on December 30th in Tokyo for an exhibition fight, part of Rizin Decade. However, the Victorville native’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, seems to have thrown a spanner in the mix, making the future seem murky. 

‘The Flash’ is amidst his year-long lay-off from the sport of boxing because of positive doping test results during the Devin Haney fight earlier this year in April. Despite defeating Haney via a majority decision, the positive result forced the NYSAC to overturn the win into a no-contest, while fining Garcia $1.2 million.

To top it off, Garcia was banned from the sport for a year, which will end in April next year. Regardless, some time ago, Garcia announced his exhibition fight against Anpo. And recently, the first press conference for the event kicked off, officially announcing the fight for later this year.

As the presser unfolded, Oscar De La Hoya took to Instagram to share a statement about the upcoming fight, revealing the fight may not happen. “Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights,” he wrote. “The organizers of this event have acknowledged as such and have agreed in writing that our sign-off is needed for this event to occur.”

However, De La Hoya asserts that his company has yet to approve the event, meaning the fight won’t take place until that happens. “As no such sign-off has been given, as of today, there is no event with Ryan Garcia,” he continued. It’s unclear why Rizin, the promotion organizing the fight, has not yet secured Oscar’s approval, but further details are expected to emerge soon.

It’s worth noting that Rukiya Anpo fought Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition in July, and pushed the former eight-division champion to his limits. The rules of the exhibition fight forced the fight to be declared as a draw since there were no knockouts during the fight. Meanwhile, Ryan Garcia has claimed that he is using the Pacquiao vs. Anpo fight as motivation to defeat Anpo. 

As the exhibition bout faces a new challenge from Oscar, Garcia has already revealed his future plans. 

Ryan Garcia adds two names to his hit-list

Ryan Garcia has set his sights on a star-studded comeback in 2025 following his one-year suspension for testing positive for Ostarine. The Victorville native plans to face off against the biggest names in combat sports, which includes the likes of Jake Paul, and Sean O’Malley. This is, of course, in addition to the expected rematch with Haney. 

“It could be against Jake Paul, we don’t know! He was trying to beat up on Uncle Mike, we said we would run it one day, I kind of gave birth to his boxing career. So, I’m here to end it,” Garcia told Ariel Helwani during a recent interview. He also teased a potential clash with O’Malley, adding, “He’s a big star regardless… a couple fights, he wins, and we can run it.”

That being said, Ryan Garcia seems confident about winning his upcoming exhibition fight in Tokyo. However, it’s yet to be seen whether Oscar De La Hoya’s statement today causes some trouble in paradise. Do you think the fight will happen? Or is it just a tactic to get the fans talking?